Special Report: Meth Treatment Part One

Over the past seven years, methamphetamine use has been a growing problem here in the Grand Valley. The drug effects not only the user, but also the family unit and the community as a whole.

There's a new meth treatment facility that's scheduled to be completed in March of 2007. The new facility is the first of it's kind on the Western Slope, and will be the future residential home for 48 recovering meth addicts.

Treatment experts say meth is one of the most addictive drugs around, and because of this, a normal 12 step program was found not to be an effective form of rehabilitation.

Criminal Justice Services say it's difficult to find a client that hasn't used meth - especially the women. Because the drug is so devastating, treatment experts decided to look all over the country to find a program that is effective in treating addiction. What they found was the Matrix Model, developed by the Matrix Institute in California.

The model incorporates family, educational classes, relapse prevention, drug testing, and individual sessions. The model also incorporates a residential aspect where individuals will be undergoing 8 hours of therapy a day.

Mesa County Criminal Justice Services say that the clients who have entered into this new program have benefited greatly from the new treatment.

There is no time table for a person undergoing this treatment. Instead, the advancement to the next level of treatment is based on the individual's own progress. And for Criminal Justice Services, they say the hardship's are worth it.

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